Treats from Pâtisserie des Rêves, Paris

Pâtisserie des Rêves is one of those pâtisseries that those who haven't visited Paris just cannot fathom.  At least, I couldn't.  Even though I had seen plenty of photos, even though I did my research, I still was blown away by the presentation, and the elaborate nature of, all the goodies.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.  Pâtisserie des Rêves had, at the time of my visit, 6 locations in Paris.  They now have only 5 (the shop I visited has since closed), but they also have locations in Milan, Tokyo, and Abu Dhabi (and opened and closed one in London).  Of course, they started as a single shop, in 2009.

Everything looked incredible, and the displays are something that dreams are made of.

The Setting

I visited the (now closed) location inside the BHV Marais shopping center.  It took me a while to find, winding through a maze of a department store before I finally was able to discover it.  I had some fear that I was in the wrong place, it was that difficult to find.

Menus.

As is customary in Paris, a menu card was outside the entrance, on the wall.  It was entirely in French, and listed the desserts and pastries, hot and cold drinks, plus the savory selections (a handful of sandwiches and salads).  This is the only location that had savory options.

Entryway.

From the entrance, a bright, white space awaited, with a circular counter in the center of the room, surrounding an open kitchen.

Treats on Display.

Each dessert item was on display under a lit glass dome.  These domes were set on top of the beautiful marble counter.

Kitchen.

I'm not entirely sure what the kitchen area was used for, as it didn't look big enough to really be where they produce the pastries.  Perhaps this is used for the light savory food menu?

Barista.

In the back was a barista area, off on the side.

The staff were incredibly friendly.  The barista saw me taking photos, and even posed (although my camera lagged too much to capture it).  I really appreciated that they didn't treat me as if I were being annoying!

They were also perfectly happy to speak English with me, although all signage was in French.  I was clearly off the beaten tourist path slightly, as most places had English signs, or at least printouts available.

The Lineup

The main pastry attractions span from completely innovative to elaborate updates on French pastry classics, like an eclair, that rather being coated in chocolate, actually surrounded by a chocolate shell, or a kouign amann that comes in the form of a stick.  They also produce beautiful, and only slightly modern versions of what they dub Childhood Pastries, described as "French pastry classics, revisited", like a famed paris-brest, saint-honorê, lemon meringue tart, rhum baba, tarte tatin, millefeuille ... yup, all the basics.  And for those who want truly basic, there is a line of cookies, brownies, and standard croissants.  These items are all in displays in the center of the room, available to eat there or bring home.

The sides of the room hold packaged treats to take home, gourmandises, from which I also selected some items.

Bavarois Fromage Blanc Verveine Citron (L). Tarte Citron, Tarte Rhubarbe (R).

Each dome held several items.

Here, the one of the left offered up the bavarois fromage blanc verveine citron in either a full size or individual, and under the right done was a large tarte citron and an individual tarte rhubarbe.

As am not a fan of citrus desserts, nor rhubarb, I easily moved on, after admiring them of course.

Paris-Brest, Saint Honorê, Tarte Abricot.

Next came a trio of individual French classics, any of which I could easily have picked.  Even though fairly basic in French patisserie terms, the paris-brest and saint honorê get many, many rave reviews.

Prices are given for eating in or taking away, with takeaway prices 2-3€ less.

Fruitter Fruites Rouges, Tarte Framboise (2 sizes).

Next we moved into some red fruits, with a Fruitter Fruites Rouges and Tarte Framboise, again offered in two portion sizes.

Gran Cru Vanille. Chou: Vanille Citron, Chocolat Praline, Pistache.

Next came their signature cream puffs, in an assortment of flavors.  These also get a number of rave reviews, as they have a completely non-traditional crunchy streusel top.

Above that was the Gran Cru Vanille, the item I ended up ordering.

Eclair au Chocolat, Charlotte Vanille Fruits Rouges.

Next came another red fruit item, and, the aforementioned eclair actually wrapped in a chocolate shell.

Calisson (2 sizes), Millefeuille.

The final dome contained layered creations, including their famed millefeuille and another cake that was available in two sizes.

Madeleine, Madeleine Chocolat, Cookie, Kouign Amman.

The other side of the counter is where the baked goods lived, in more standard display racks.  This selection looked more picked over, which makes sense, as it was evening, and these are mostly morning items.

Here we had two types of madeleines (regular and chocolate), a few chocolate chip cookies, a single flan tart, and, the kouign amann sticks.  This was certainly the most unique form of kouign amann I've ever seen, a flaky, twirled stick.  I was so tempted to get it given my love of kouign amann, but to be honest, it didn't look to have the crispy caramelized exterior I love in a kouign amann.

Financier, Croissant, Pain au Chocolat (2 sizes), Chausson aux pommes.

The final baked goods section had croissants (regular, chocolate, mini chocolate), apple turnovers, and assorted financiers, again, picked over, normally morning items.

Packaged Treats.

The sides of the shop are lined with pink packages containing all sorts of goodies to take home, gourmandises.  Here we had all sorts of chocolate covered items, candied nuts, biscuits, candies, dragêes, pâte de fruits, and more.

Chocolates, Spreads.

Next came their line of chocolate bars and assorted spreads (fruit and nut based).

Guimauves (Marshmallows).

And last, fancy marshmallows.  Remember when I predicted, years ago, that marshmallows would be the next big thing?  I still think it!

Packaging

I'm including a section here on packaging, only because it became novel to me to compare how all the fancy pâtisseries did this differently.  Some totally impractical, some functional, some minimalistic.  Given the elaborate display cases inside this shop, you can probably guess which direction Pâtisserie des Rêves favors.

Bag and Box.

Pâtisserie des Rêves was more on the practical side, while still being quite nice.  The bag was a quality bag with handles, the box sturdy.  It stayed together on its own, but was sealed with a label too.  So much better than the box with no structural integrity from Pierre Hermé!

In the box bottom, a thick cardboard tray was placed, to keep the box even more strongly put together.  Points for Pâtisserie des Rêves on their packaging!

Desserts

So, anyway, what, of all this great stuff, did I get?

Let's just say, I was faced with a pretty serious case of indecision.  I walked around drooling at the items under the domes.  I finally made a decision, and ordered the seasonal raspberry Tarte Framboise, but, the person who took my order told me that was good, but, his favorite was the Grand Cru Vanille.  If someone was going to, unsolicited, tell me that something else was better, what choice did I have?  I took his advice, and changed my order.

Grand Cru Vanille. 6.80€.

I obviously couldn't want to get back to the hotel to dig in, so I stopped at a fountain nearby to explore my treats.  Only then did I realize that no cutlery was provided in the bag.  Doh!  Other places always included that.

However, there were two pink plastic ... things.  I'm not sure what they were for really.  Decoration? They didn't hold up anything.  They were like little spears with cakes on top?  But, they sorta worked to slice off a bite.  I took a few token bites, then rushed back to hotel, where I knew silverware awaited.

Grand Cru Vanille: Inside!

"For the pleasure of real aficionados, Philippe Conticini has applied his talents especially to the flavour of the vanilla bean: subtly crunchy Nduja vanilla; vanilla sponge; creamy black vanilla filling; white chocolate and vanilla mousse – for a taste sensation as sweet and intense as a warm hug."

I'll be honest, when I took my first bites, I was pretty disappointed.  I didn't really like it.  But my first bites were all the outer mousse.  It got better as I dug in and uncovered the center.

There were four distinct components.

Starting from the bottom was what I guess is the "subtly crunchy Nduja vanilla".  It was a crunchy layer, with tiny bits of what I think were almonds perhaps, although maybe it was the Nduja vanilla itself?  A nutty taste for sure, awesome texture, and, a bit salty, which I really appreciated with the sweet.

Above that was the vanilla sponge, just a thin layer of vanilla cake.  It wasn't really what I think of as cake at all though really ... it was moist and I almost didn't realize that the bottom two layers were different, but it didn't have any crunchy bits in it, so it was certainly different.  Another texture to play with.

Above that was the "creamy black vanilla filling".  What was it?  I honestly don't know, but it was black and creamy, and well, tasted like vanilla?  Strongly of vanilla, in a nice way.

And finally, the "white chocolate and vanilla mousse", which was the dominant component, as it was not only the thickest layer, but it encompassed the entire thing as well.  It was light and fluffy.  Flecks of vanilla were quite visible.  It wasn't too sweet, which I did somewhat worry about.  I didn't want sweet overload.  But the flavor was ... odd.  It grew on me, particularly when combined with the other flavors, but it still wasn't something I liked.

Overall, this was a lovely celebration of vanilla.  Balanced and not too sweet.  The mousse was perfectly fluffy, and I liked the contrasting texture of the crunchy base.  I easily finished it, begrudgingly saving a single bite for Ojan.  But I wouldn't get it again.

The  6.80€ takeaway price was very reasonable for a high end creation like this.

Gourmandises

I couldn't really leave this amazing place with just a single item, could I?  But I didn't want more to eat right then (or, even later that night).  Thus, I also grabbed a few items from the "gourmandises" area, aka, items that I could bring back to the hotel, or possibly even back home, and consume later ...

Guimave Surprise: Vanille/Caramel. 9€.

"Chocolate-coated marshmallows with a surprise filling."

These "Marshmallow Surprises" were available in three varieties: praline chocolate, praline lemon coconut, and caramel vanilla.  I'm really not sure why I opted for caramel vanilla, as praline chocolate sounds far more appealing to me as I write this up ...

Anyway, what was it?  A thin chocolate shell, with a fluffy marshmallow inside, with a well in the center stuffed with liquid caramel.

Sounded great, but for some reason neither Ojan nor I liked them.  It is really hard to say why, as all the ingredients are things we like.  Chocolate, caramel, marshmallows ... the chocolate was good quality, the caramel nicely gooey.  The marshmallow was a bit of a strange texture, sorta crunchy yet soft.  But still, I'm not sure why we both disliked them so much, and opted to give them away to friends instead.

The 9€ price was high, for a container with I think 5 of these in it total, but, well, it was a fancy shop, so this isn't totally surprising?

Guimauves Gout Guimauve, 2 pack. 1.85€

"Classic, delicately-flavoured marshmallows."

I also grabbed a little 2-pack of marshmallows, mostly out of curiosity.  Years ago I claimed that marshmallows were going to be a thing, the new cupcake, and while they haven't had quite reached the level of cupcakes, they still show up everywhere, including in Paris.

Available in a wide range of flavors: vanilla, coconut, orange blossom, "marshmallow", and baby cologne.  I went for "marshmallow" flavor, because that sounded somewhat ridiculous to me.  A marshmallow flavored marshmallow?  Uh, sure?

The marshmallow was a perfect texture and consistency, super fluffy and light.  But I didn't like the flavor at all.  It seemed kinda floral.  I hope I didn't accidentally grab the "baby cologne" flavor?

Anyway, texture great, flavor bad, so not a winner for me either.

Praline Rose. 14€.

Before this trip to Paris, I guess I had no idea what pralines really were.  I mean, I thought I did, it was a term I was familiar with, always invoking thoughts of some kind of candied nuts.

I've had plenty of chocolate with praline, like chocolate coated in praline bits from Godiva, and bars filled with bits of praline by Galler, Cailler, and Chocolat Moderne, and Vosges.  I've had my share of praline flavored ice creams, like Praline and Cream ice cream from Häagen-Dazs and Baskin-Robbins, ice cream with almond praline clusters from Ben & Jerry's, a ice cream Drumstick topped with praline peanuts from Nestle, pecan praline froyo from Yogurtland, and even a Praline & Cream McFlurry from McDonald's.  I've had other praline desserts, like spiced pecan praline cookies at Back Yard Kitchen, and the praline cream inside paris-brest in Tokyo.  And, apparently, a lot of foie gras and praline dishes, like the ridiculously good foie gras ice cream bar with praline mousse at Alexander's,  the foie gras mousse topped with pistachio praline at Lafitte, and a chocolate and foie gras mousse cake with praline sponge cake (and bacon ice cream) at La Folie.

Like I said, I thought I knew praline.  And then I went to Paris.  And discovered pink pralines, which apparently come from Lyon.  Nuts, usually almonds and/hazelnuts, coated in a pink candy shell.

I discovered them in the best place, inside the magical brioche Praluline from Pralus,  I wished I had known to grab a box of the pralines at Pralus, and regretted it as soon as I left.  So when I saw a box of pralines at Pâtisserie des Rêves, I snatched it up.  I knew I'd devour them on the spot, so I hid them in my bag, determined to not break into it until I got home.  And ... I succeeded, which made for a wonderful treat once I was back in San Francisco.

Praline Rose: Close Up.

My tube of pralines had two shapes of nuts, some nearly round, others oblong.  I think the mix was almonds and hazelnuts, but it was hard to know exactly what the nuts were, given the thick coating.

The coating was vibrant pink sugar.  It was crazy thick and sweet.  And delicious.

These were downright addicting, impressive given how sweet they were.  I devoured half the tube in about 3 seconds.  Oops.

I think pralines are normally used inside baked goods, crushed up and cracked, but, for a very sweet treat, I think they were perfect as they were.  I'd certainly get these again, even though 14€ for a snack that lasted me only a few minutes is a bit steep.  And next time, I'd get them at Pralus too!

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Oreo Ice Cream Bars, France

I won't give you the spiel again.  For the past few weeks, I've been posting about the assorted ice cream I found while visiting my Paris office, like the Mars brand ice cream bars, the slightly more interesting Trufo bars from Kalise, and the unidentified chocolate pistachio cones.

The final item I tried was an item and brand I know well, but, in a form I hadn't ever had before: Oreo Ice Cream Sticks, sold in both France and Germany.  It was really quite good.  It tasted exactly like an Oreo.

Oreo Ice Cream Stick.

"Ice Cream with Oreo Biscuit Pieces".

The description wasn't exactly comprehensive.  I opened my package to discover a chocolate covered item, generously dipped and coated in chocolate.

This chocolate shell at first was off-putting.  It wasn't a shiny, smooth, chocolate shell as is common with ice cream novelties on sticks.  It was ... gritty.  I expected the extra bits of cookie crumbs in the ice cream, but the gritty texture in the shell was unexpected.  But once I was prepared for it, and realized that was my cookie component, it made total sense, and I enjoyed it.

Oreo Ice Cream Stick: Inside.

Inside was indeed "ice cream with Oreo biscuit pieces", white ice cream with visible chunks of oreo.

The ice cream was actually decent.  It tasted exactly like the "stuff" inside an Oreo.  It was decently creamy.  There were more bits of cookie integrated throughout, but most of the cookie elements came through the shell.

Overall, yes, this was good.  Yes, it tasted like an Oreo.  I don't really like Oreos, but I immediately wanted another one of these.

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Blé Sucré, Paris

When I visited Paris, of course one of the things I looked up was where to get the best croissants.  Because I was there for a business trip, I stayed close to my office, where the pickings were slim. It was shopping-ville and tourist-ville, filled with overpriced and underwhelming items.  The hotel breakfast at the W had abysmal croissants, and even the croissant from the famed Ladurée was awful (to be fair, they are known for macarons).   The only halfway decent one I found close by was from Liberté and that wasn't particularly awesome.

So when Saturday rolled around, I had one mission: to find the best croissant in Paris.  My research lead me straight to Blé Sucré, located fairly far from my hotel in the 12th arrondissement.  In fact, it turned out to be right next to East Mamma, where we had dinner the previous Sunday, but arrived by car.

I knew it was far away, an hour walk from my hotel, but reviews of the croissants, and chocolate croissants, were just too good to pass up.  But rather than walk, I grab a Vélib' bike from the station right outside my office, and risked my life on the city streets of Paris, just to get my treat in half the time.  (Don't worry mom, the ride wasn't really that bad, the bike was in good working order, and the route mostly sorta had a bike lane!  If you are ever in Paris and want to get around quickly, I highly recommend.  A day pass is only 1.70€, and from there, you can take unlimited <30 min trips for free, or pay a little for additional time.  I made it in under 30 mins, and there are stations seriously everywhere.

Setting

Storefront.

Blé Sucré is located on a sunny, quiet sidewalk alongside a park.  It is far off the beaten tourist path, and I could instantly tell that this is where normal people go for their casual morning treat.  Unlike most boulangeries, they actually had a small amount of seating, a few colorful tables on the sidewalk under the awning.  If you choose to eat there, your treats were put on a tray rather than bagged, and you were charged an extra 1€.  Also unlike most boulangeries, they did have coffee (although only regular, only espresso drinks).

Park.

The seating was fine if you actually wanted a table there, but the shop is literally right on Square Armand Trousseau, an adorable tree filled park with plenty of benches, and a playground (filled with what I presume were neighborhood children).

I took my treat there to enjoy, and appreciated just fitting into the scenery.  The park was crowded, filled with children and adult's voices alike, all speaking French, not a word of which I understood.

I loved it.  Finally, out of the tourist area.

The Goods

Jams.

But back to Blé Sucré.

I entered, not entirely knowing what to expect.  Blé Sucré doesn't actually have a website, so I had read reviews, and seen some photos, but I had no complete sense of what the lineup would be.

The first wall was filled with jams.  Uh, moving on.

Display Case #1 ...

Things quickly got more exciting.

On top of the main display case were packaged little goodies.  If I didn't have epic plans for Michelin starred dinner that night at Goust, I most certainly would have grabbed some of these to go.  There were all sorts of little cookies, but also palmiers, madelines (their signature item), and of course, fancy flavored artisinal marshmallows.

Below them, the treats began.  Beautiful fruit tarts, including a crumble topped one.  These came in two sizes, but even the smaller ones were huge, and 14€, so certainly not an individual sized treat.  There were also a bunch of stunning other desserts, including the first baba au rhum I've probably ever been interested in.

More Sweet Treats ...

The case continued, with a St. Honore that I wanted to devour on the spot, and all the classics: paris brest, millefeuille, etc.

Viennioseries.

But it was breakfast, and I was there for the croissant!  I sought this place out, for the croissant after all.   I had to get a croissant.

I expected that perhaps I'd opt for the chocolate croissant, since people love that too, but I wasn't expecting to be taken in by ... well, everything I saw.

My intentions of getting a croissant vanished.  How could I get something so basic?

I was overwhelmed by indecision.

I surveyed the selection, and stepped out of the way as I pondered.  Everyone else knew exactly what they wanted, stepped in, ordered their croissant or chocolate croissant, a baguette, and dashed out the door.  Not me.  I took it all in.

Seriously, everything looked incredible.  Yes, the croissants, down on the end on the bottom shelf, did look perfect.  They were huge, super crispy and flaky.  But the pain aux raisins above them glistened at me.  Next to them, the roule aux amandes took it up a notch.  And next to those, the kouign amann honestly looked amazing (now, kouign amann is pretty much *always* amazing, but these looked absolutely sugar and butter infused, caramelized beyond belief.  OMG.  If I hadn't devoured a Praluline the night before, I'm sure this is what I would have gone for.  But I couldn't quite take something quite that decadent.  Or so I thought ...)

Shocking to me were the brioche framboise and brioche caramel, bottom row, right hand side.  I've never seen anything like them.  They looked like soft, doughy bread, studded with either raspberries or caramel.  Not as rich as a croissant or the other pastries, but sugary and sweet too.  I came so, so close to getting the caramel one.

But, I was there for a croissant.  I didn't want crazy sweet, right?  Too many days in a row of feasting on sweets was catching up with me.  I was going to just get a croissant.  Or a chocolate croissant.  Right?  Right?!!

Finally, I stepped up to order, quite hesitant, because I hadn't really made up my mind, and, well, I hadn't heard a word of English spoken, nor seen a single sign I could read.  I pointed at what I thought was the caramel brichee, with the viennioseries menu in hand, and just asked if that is what it was (I still wasn't quite sure what that thing was).  The woman politely told me yes, and she responded in English to me, so I was relieved, and just blurted out, "Do you have a favorite?"  She pointed at the kouign amann of course, and then the roule aux amandes.  I honestly had no idea what the later was, it looked like a raisin swirl, but without raisins, and with almond flakes on top, and it was glistening.  Um, sure, why not?  I'm not sure what got into me.  I was supposed to be getting THE FAMOUS CROISSANT!  I went with her suggestion instead.

Roule Aux Amandes. 1.60€.

Anyway, yes, I wound up with the roule aux amandes.

It was made with the same laminated dough as a croissant, just, well, rolled up.  I'm pretty sure there was a small amount of almond paste between the layers, because I could taste almond other than just in the topping, or perhaps there was an extract baked into the dough?  I'm not sure.  I did unroll it, and never actually saw frangipane.

It was just a different spin on an almond croissant or almond danish.  Same dough, same almond flavors, just a different form.

I wasn't quite sure I liked it at first.  I think at some level it just wasn't actually what I wanted, but I honestly had no idea what I did want at that point.

The exterior was super flaky and crispy, the inside layers, moist and soft.  The softer layers had a slight chew to them, that wasn't quite enjoyable.  The dough had a sweetness to it, and was very, very buttery.  It actually might have been a bit too rich for me, particularly when covered in sweet glaze too.  When I lifted my treat up, after only having set it on the paper for a moment to take this photo, it was soaked through in grease.  Wow.

It was large, and a few bites in, I didn't expect that I'd finish it.  But ... it grew on me.  Soon I craved more sweet buttery-ness.

In the end, I did enjoy it.  I wished Blé Sucré was closer by, as I would like to return to try the regular croissant, as I set out to do in the first place.  I'm sure it was buttery too, but not in quite the same way.  And some of those other desserts ... swoon.  Next time.

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Dinner at East Mamma, Paris

When in Paris, go get pizza, right?  Yeah, an odd decision, but we had dinner plans with a friend's family (including children), so this seemed more appropriate than Michelin style dining.

East Mamma is just basic Italian cuisine, known for  housemade pasta, the pizza, burrata, and  desserts (particularly tiramisu in every variety imaginable, including banoffee, called, I'm not joking, Banofeemisu!).  Well, you know me, I do like my carbs, cheese, and dessert, so, this did sound right up my alley.  Plus, it was a recommendation from a friend and gets great reviews.  Family friendly, afordable, cheesy, sounded like a good choice.

We went.  We dined.  I took notes.  I wrote a blog post.  And somehow ... the post did not save.  And my notes have long since been thrown out.  Thus, today's review is mostly a photo-tour only.  My vague memory is that everything was fine, but not particularly memorable, and that they no longer had the banoffee tiramisu I was so eagerly looking forward to.

The Setting

Oh, another detail that I clearly remember: they do not take reservations.  And are very popular.

Lining Up.

We got there before they opened, as instructed by my friend who recommended it, to find a line down the sidewalk.  Way down the sidewalk.  We took our places, along with the others.

Seating.

We did manage to get in the first seating, once they opened the doors and we all filed in.

Open Kitchen.

The kitchen was open, but we weren't seated near it, so I didn't get to watch the action.

The big buckets of Nutella on the counter were for their Nutella pizza, another signature dessert (besides the tiramisu).  When they serve it, they bring you an entire pail of Nutella and a spatula and you can smear on as much Nutella as you want.

Water Pitcher.

We were given a beautiful water pitcher to serve ourselves from.

Piggy Plate!

Plates were equally beautiful.

Place Setting.

We were provided menus (French only) and silverware with real wooden handles.

The Food

The fairly straightforward menu is all basic Italian comfort food.  Everything is family-style.

Starters

Starters include cheese, charcuterie, and bruschetta.

Bread.

Once we ordered, we were given a burlap sack of bread and our own bottle of decent quality olive oil.

Jambon. 9€.

We selected one charcuterie, some type of ham.  Other choices included bresaola, mortadella, and something truffled.

It came thinly sliced on a plate, alongside the bag of bread.

Grosse burrata crémeuse. 11€.

We also went for one cheese, burrata of course (other choices included several types of mozzarella, ricotta, stracciatella, and parmigiano).  I sorta recall being disappointed by the burrata, but I might be making that up.

It was drizzled with a bit of olive oil and cracked pepper.

Pizza

Pizza is Napoletana style, cooked in a wood fired oven, and ranges from basic marinara (made with San Marzano tomatoes) to a spicy version with n'duja, about 7 options total.

Mammargherita DOP. 12€.

"Mozza di bufala, tomates San Marzano, basilic frais."

We kept it simple with the "Mammargherita", a margherita with buffalo mozza.

Pasta

East Mamma is also known for the pasta, and it is all made fresh daily in house.  Here we also had a handful of options, again ranging from basic tomato sauce to squid ink pasta with calamari.  Pasta is available in two sizes (individual, or for 4 people).

Truefes. 18€.

"Truffes noires d'été de Bologne Crème de mascarpone et petits champignons."
We went for the signature dish, fresh homemade pasta in a rich cream sauce with mascarpone and fresh truffles.  Oh yes.

Desserts

And then, dessert.  I was fairly devastated that the banoffeemiso was not on the menu.  Instead we had regular tiramisu or a lemon version, panna cotta, lemon sorbet, or the aforementioned Nutella pizza.

We tried both varieties of tiramisu.

Limonemisu light. 7€.

"Célèbre tiramisu au citron."

The lemon one came plated, a HUGE slice.  Seriously, it was 3x a reasonable size.

Il tigramisu. 6.5€.

The regular tiramisu was served tableside from a huge bowl, spooned onto our plate in front of us.  At the encouraging of one of my fellow diners, we received an extra scoop.  I kinda suspect that is common practice.

I remember not being thrilled with dessert, but I don't know if I didn't like this tiramisu, or if I was just upset about the lack of banoffeemiso.

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American Airlines Admiral's Club, CDG Airport, Paris

For the past few months, you have been reading all about my adventures in Paris.  At the end of my first trip, I flew back via London, and the flights began at the Charles de Gaulle Airport, where I spent the night beforehand at the Sheraton (breakfast was meh, executive lounge was worse).

My first stop after getting through airport security was the American Airlines Admiral's club.  I was flying with British Airways, but they do not have a lounge at CDG.  I had the choice of American's or Cathay's Lounge, or, of course, both.

I started with the Admiral's Club because I had been advised that the food was much better.  It ended up being great looking, and extensive, but not actually anything special.  The lounge was very nicely laid out though, comfortable and with abundant power ports (including usb!), and the food was all very clearly labelled in English and French.  Staff were also very friendly and efficient, nothing went unstocked.

The Space

Both the American and Cathay lounges are laid out the same way, and while the Cathay one looks nicer, the American space is more practical, with better power port placement.

Entrance.

 All the airline lounges are located right next to each other, just past duty free.  Very easy to find.

Cafe Seating.

Adjacent to the food area are tables with chairs and soft benches.  Every seat has power ports, including usb.

Full Lounge.

The lounge runs all the way to the windows, with views of aircraft taking off.  It is filled with assorted soft seating, all with small side tables nearby, all with power ports.  Clearly a newly renovated, functional, space.

Bar Seating.

I choose to settle at the high bar, with comfortable bar stools, foot rests, and overhang, and, yup, more power ports/usb.

Food and Drinks: 8:30am.

I visited in the morning, so it was mostly breakfast service, but, there was savory food and desserts too, so no matter what time of day it is in your head, they can accommodate what your body wants

Since I already had breakfast at the Sheraton earlier that morning and planned to visit the Cathay Lounge next, I had to limit my choices to just the things that jumped out at me the most.  Everyone said American had the better food, thus the reason it was my first pick.  (I thought both lounges had about the same quality of food, but Cathay had a better drink line-up).

Drinks

The Admiral's club drink selection was fairly standard.  Cathay wins on this one.

Cold Drinks.

A fridge with cold drinks had ginger ale, sprite, 7up, ice tea, coke, and sparkling water.

Next to that was a coffee machine that ground fresh beans with both decaf and regular, plus tea.  I had a decaf, it was fine, not remarkable.

Hard Alcohol, Snacks.

Of course, if it was 5pm in your world, a selection of hard alcohol and bar snacks (olives, peanuts, pretzels) was readily available.  I didn't notice wine, but it must have been somewhere?

Food

The food lineup spanned breakfast, snacks, lunch, and ... desserts!

Desserts: Chocolate Mousse, Vanilla Cream Pudding, Cottage Cheese with Fruit, Yogurt.

The first thing I saw when I entered the food area was the desserts.  Puddings.  Oh, be still my heart! I love puddings!

Sadly, the excitement died down when I tried them.

The vanilla pudding had a really strange, off flavor.  It was garnished with almond slices.

The chocolate mousse was super thick, and didn't have a great flavor either.

I didn't try the more breakfast appropriate cottage cheese with fruit or yogurts.

Pastries: Croissants, Chocolate Croissants, Apple Turnovers, Raisin Swirls.

Everyone says the Admiral's Club pastries are actually pretty good, so I went for a basic croissant.  When in France ...

It was ... fine.  Better than the hotels I had stayed at (like the W in Paris) but not really remarkable.  Slightly crispy exterior, but kinda greasy inside.

Simple strawberry jam, assorted butters, and Nutella were available on the side, none of which really enhanced the croissant much, not premium ingredients..

Toast and Cereal.

Next was bread and baguettes, and simple cereals.  I quickly moved on.

Juices. Charcuterie and Cheese.  Salad.

Assorted juices and milk came next, alongside some savory offerings.

There was decent selection of charcuterie and cheese, and if it were later in the day, or I was not having 4 breakfasts that morning, I certainly would have tried some.

The cheese lineup included emmental, a nice looking english cheddar, brie, coeur de lion, la lome.  Rally, a decent selection.

The salads were a greek salad, a "piemontaise salad", and fruit salad, with a few different salad dressing options.

Sandwiches.

Next came sandwiches: curry chicken and turkey.

Hot Breakfast Foods.

The hot foods lineup included breakfast standards: chicken sausages, scrambled eggs, roasted mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, baked beans, bacon, salmon quiche, and pancakes.

I tried a turkey sausage cuz they looked so cute, but it reminded me of a canned vienna sausage, not exactly good.

Chocolate Cake with Creme Anglais.

And the final station, chocolate cake ... with a pot of crème anglaise on the side.  Again, yes!

Until I tried it.  Dry, fairly flavorless chocolate cake.  And the anglais.  It actually tasted like ... nothing.

Breakfast of Champions?

Sadly, this all looked and sounded better than it was.  The croissant was the best item, but not memorable.  It was time to move on to the Cathay Pacific lounge.

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